Jean M. Lauder, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus

B.A., University of Maine, 1967

Ph.D., Purdue University, 1972

Postdoc, NIMH, 1972-74

Joined the Department in 1978

Funding Sources

NIH

NIEHS

Research Interests

Neurotransmitters as developmental signals.

Neurotransmitters act as growth regulatory signals in primitive organisms, embryos, and the developing nervous system, where they exert their effects by activating receptors and signal transduction mechanisms similar to those used in vertebrate neurotransmission. Over the years, my laboratory has investigated developmental roles for serotonin (5-HT), GABA, acetylcholine, and most recently, endocannabinoids, in development of neural and non-neural tissues. Ongoing studies involve bioinformatic analyses of vertebrate and invertebrate genomes in an attempt to gain insights into the evolutionary history of the endocannabinoid system.

Roles of neurotransmitters in developmental disabilities.

Using animal models, we have investigated how abnormal development of neurotransmitter systems may contribute to developmental disabilities, like autism. Using mutant mice, we have studied deficits in social interactions, a hallmark of autism, and used microarrays to profile gene expression. These studies have demonstrated not only the effects of targeted mutations, but also the important role of background strain, on both social behavior and gene expression phenotypes.